I have had a few FC's in my day, but I have always had a love for the FB. I am currentley in a situation were I have a vehicle that I have to cut my losses on and sell it super cheap(bad motor). I don't really have money set aside to buy a vehicle, and I am not going to take out a loan....
I have seen FB's for well under 2K dollars....and although I should buy something practical, I am tempted by the fruit. What should I look for when buying a cheaper fb. I know a good amount about cars, so I would like to know what to look for in specific regarding FB's(areas that tend to rust, sagging doors, etc..).
Thanks guys,
Barry
P.S If anyone happens to be selling a FB in central florida, let me know.

 

pull the storage bins out and look for rust in the wheelwells.

 

definitely check the rear bin area from BOTH inside the car and underneath.Also check the front frame rails on both sides where the steering idler and steering box[other side] are bolted to Oftentimes the rear will be fine and the front rusted plenty.
Additionally , check the front strut towers, I've seen alot of backyard stuff attempted in this and all the above areas.
Weld new metal in where required, bolts ,screws and/or pop rivets are NOT safe.'nuf said I hope.

 

The rear calipers tend to sieze - look out for that. The posts on the fuel guage sender in the gas tank corrode away, so if the guage reads completely empty you can bet that you'll need to replace the sender unit if you want a fuel guage. The dash/console lights use a dimmer near the power window and choke controls... That switch can fail and the instrument panel won't light up with the lights on. Windshield washer switch in the wiper controls can fail too.

Also look for rust creeping out from behind the front windshield trim. Check for rust on the rear quarter panels at the bottom, behind where a mudflap would be attached. Chances are that if it's rusting there it's rusting from the inside and you'll be welding to repair it properly.

 

My friend just picked up a '79 for $800.

There is no body perforation anywhere, everything is intact and un-fucked up by previous owners ("darr, let's pull out the rats nest!"), generally a VERY CLEAN and GOOD CONDITION ride.

I'd place its real value at $1800-2200. Deals *are* out there.

 

yeah they are out there...i got my FB this yeah in may for 1000 bucks with only 79,000 miles on her....everything on the car was immaculate....the interior looks BRAND NEW...and the spare tire was never ever used...its brand new too ....so yeah just look around deals are out there!

 

Got mine for $600.

 

[game show voice] you've come to the right place sir! i happen to have a silver with red gsl-se for sale for said $1000!

 

I got my 1980 SA for $500 but it was probly worth more

 

post a pic of your car for sale j9fd3s. what is wrong, how many miles all that stuff

 

Just picked a 85 gsl from MD for $200.00 and drove back to PA with no problems, very happy with the drive back. SHe's stock and runs sweeeeet......

 

hell yeah there are lots of deals out there...

first rx-7 i ever worked on (81 gs) was picked up as a parts car for my dad for $100, with a "blown" engine... Well i screwed around with it and it turned out to be just a bad ignitor. Ran great, was a nice car. My brother bought his for $200 and it runs great (finally after lots of work though). I just recently bought my 83 for $1200.

 

Ahh... so I may finally be able to get back into the rotary game. It's been a long time coming. Thanks for the tips on what to look for guys. Now all I have to do is sell my Non running 97 S-10(cracked block...It just sits in the driveway "like a rock").

 

"like a rock" ^^^^LOL

 

I found a clean garage kept GSL-SE for only $300. Original owner. She never revved it up much and this was evidenced by the fact that the 6 ports were stuck shut. Great little car. I'd have bought it for twice the price! Too bad the color is tan on brown. Oh well. It was still only $300!

 

i finally checked my bins the other day after 7 months of owning the car and there was NONE! not even a trace of surface rust , me was happy!